Inquiring Minds
What's in a Kiss?
by Tracy Bohannon
Nothing is quite as romantic as kissing your loved one in the dark. Just the two of you, a darkened room, and kisses, sweet as any chocolate. But wait a minute. It's dark. Sure, it's easy enough to find each other's bodies in the dark, but lips? How is it that we can find each other's lips, even when the lights are off? Read more.
Spring Forward, Fall Back
"Springing forward" and "falling back" are turning points that are taken for granted by most. We have a tough time remembering which weekend to change the clocks, but we never really question why we do it or who started it in the first place. Daylight Savings Time is something that comes and goes, giving us a little more sunlight and making us late or early for appointments two Sundays a year. Did you ever wonder why we change the clocks or who started the whole thing? Read more.
NYC Marathon
I had a topic in mind for this issue, and I meant to write about it, but my running kept eating up all of my free time. So, I decided that I may as well write about the thing that is keeping me out on the pavement for so many hours each week and cutting into my writing time: The 2005 ING New York City Marathon. Read more.
Riding the Rails
The world's first subway system opened in London in 1863. Since then, subways have spread to large cities around the world as an efficient form of mass transport. I spend just under 90 minutes total underground per day during my commute in New York, and I thought it would be interesting to share some facts about New York's subway system. Read more.
Fireworks
This Fourth of July--our first in the United States since 2001--was a real bang. We watched the fireworks from a rooftop terrace in Brooklyn and were able to see three of the seven barges clearly. The spectacular display got me wondering about fireworks, how they came to be, and how they became such an Independence Day mainstay here in America. So, as I am wont to do, I researched. Read more.
Do You Doodle?
Are there small flowers all over your notebook after a boring lecture or meeting? Are the soles of your shoes covered in geometric shapes? Does a phonecall often mean scribbles on any scrap of paper within your reach? Read more.
Ring Around the Rosie
"Ring Around the Rosie" is one of the most beloved English language nursery rhymes that exists. We can all recall reciting it, and falling down playfully at the end, giggling and smiling the whole time. The popularity of the rhyme has given rise to many theories about its meaning and origins, one of which I must confess to believing myself until a few short weeks ago. Read more.
Shipping Containers
Call me crazy or slow, but I think I was well into my twenties before I realized that the boxcars on the freight trains that I counted as a child and the backs of trailer trucks were one and the same. Not to mention that the colorful rectangular boxes on large container ships that I had seen in ports were also the same size and shape. Several years later, married to a Swede, I found myself watching all of my worldly belongings being loaded into such a container. As I write this article, another three and a half years have gone by, and a different container is somewhere between Germany and New York City filled with our household goods. Even if I did not have such a personal connection to the container shipping industry, I would still find it fascinating. Read more.
Pheromones
When I was trying to think of a topic for this column this time around, I reflected upon the issue theme of kindred spirits. Somehow in my crazy mind, this led to thoughts of friends, and then couples. Finally my mind wandered to how physical attraction occurs. I remembered reading several descriptions of pheromones, and I decided to research this smelly prospect. Something told me all along that there is more to attraction than Drakkar Noir or Clinique Happy when it comes to sniffing out a partner. But is there any hard science behind following one's nose to love? Read more.
Thanksgiving's Biggest Myth
Anyone who has partaken in the socially sanctioned gluttony known as a turkey dinner can vouch for the bird's sedative effects. It goes something like this: meet with friends and family. Eat turkey with many fixings. Unbutton top button on your pants. Pat your belly. Depending on your gender and interests, retire to the couch in front of the TV or the couch in the living room. Proceed to watch football and/or gossip until you can no longer keep your eyes open. Doze off into post-poultry dreamland. Alternatively, you could drive home after the feast, but driving after a Thanksgiving meal must be nearly as dangerous as driving under the influence. It is hard to concentrate on anything after eating a Thanksgiving meal. Why do our eyelids get so heavy after eating the turkey? Read more.
The Naming of Hurricanes
From the sound of it, hurricanes are cute, friendly things. After all, they have names, just like our friends and relatives. As it turns out, tropical storms and hurricanes have names instead of numbers to make them easier for us to recognize and remember. After all, it's pretty obvious that "Look out, here comes Jeanne" is a lot more likely to get the public's attention than "Tropical Storm #10 on the way." Using human names also makes it less likely that there will be confusion about which storm is being discussed. As evidenced by the past several weeks, many hurricanes can be active at the same time. Read more.
The Flea Market Itch
I recently had the pleasure of attending two flea markets in two very different areas of the country. I now wonder how I nearly made it to my thirtieth birthday without ever experiencing the spectacle that is the flea market. With my sister near her summer home in Wisconsin, I wandered in and out of row after row of tables, fascinated by the hodge podge of junk and treasures on display. Cheesehead hats, Green Bay Packers memorabilia, and cheese curds were all there begging to be bought. Ten days later, the scene was repeated, except this time I was with my parents in Florida. There the booths were decorated with confederate flags and fishing gear. Two very different settings, with different wares, but the same thing was at the core: the flea market spirit. Read more.
Goes=Says and Points in Time
I am pleased to be writing this month's column in response to a reader question. Will Nash writes:
English speaking people are getting less and less in touch with the structure and elegance of a difficult but rich language due to laziness. This laziness is exacerbated by text messaging (Orwellian Newspeak), smileys, expressions like "whatever," just to name a few.
Read more.
Wonder Woman
What is the story behind Wonder Woman?
The theme this month is heroes and role models. If you are anything like me, you grew up watching Lynda Carter kick some major butt in her leotard and boots on the small screen. You made golden wristbands and tiaras out of paper and converted your jumprope into a lasso. You deflected the imaginary bullets shot by little boys' plastic guns with ease and grace. After months of begging, your parents finally gave in and bought you the coveted Wonder Woman underoos and you showed them off proudly at sleepover parties all across town. You didn't want to watch Wonder Woman on TV, you wanted to BE her. So, who came up with Wonder Woman? When? Why? Read more.
Winging It
When I was pondering a research subject related to this issue's theme, "winging it," my thoughts turned to birds, airplanes, butterflies and even buffalo wings. Perhaps something on the Wright brothers or the future of passenger air travel? How birds fly? It was natural to look to all things winged for inspiration. Or was it? While trying to figure out just what "winging it" was and how I could explore it in this column, I realized that the way we use the expression is true to its roots, yet the general public has no idea how or why it came about. That is often how idioms work. We use them like they are second nature, never stopping to think about how they ended up in our collective vocabulary. No wonder learning a second language can prove so difficult. Read more.
YKK on Zippers
If you are wearing clothes, you are probably wearing at least one zipper. Look at the little zipper pull tab, and you will most likely find the letters YKK. Have you ever wondered why? I certainly have, so I decided to dedicate my first research column to investigate the history of what we commonly call the zipper. Read on for the fascinating biography of our ubiquitous metal-toothed friend, whose ancestors went by names such as "clasp locker" and "separable fastener." Read more.
What is deja vu and why does it happen?
Deja vu is the eerie feeling that an entire event or situation has happened before, even though it is completely illogical and impossible. The term comes from French, and means "already seen." It has also been described as "familiarity without awareness." Different surveys have shown that 30 to 70 percent of adults have experienced a deja vu episode. The phenomenon is most common among 15-25 year olds. Read more.